Vanderbilt ranked in college football poll for the first time since 2014 after Ball State win – Tennessean

(This story was updated with new information.)
Vanderbilt football is ranked for the first time in more than a decade.
The Commodores (5-2, 2-1 SEC) were ranked No. 25 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Poll released Sunday. Vanderbilt was last ranked in the final poll of the 2013 season after winning the Compass Bowl in January 2014, leading to a No. 24 ranking in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the coaches poll. It’s the first in-season ranking for the Commodores since 2008, though they were ranked at the end of both the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
The ranking drought was the second-longest among power conference teams after Rutgers, which has not been ranked since 2012.
The Commodores received votes on a few occasions earlier in the season after wins against Virginia Tech and Alcorn State but fell out after losses to Georgia State and Missouri. Vanderbilt beat Alabama 40-35 in its first win over a top-five team in program history, then won at Kentucky 20-13. A 24-14 win over Ball State allowed the Commodores to enter the rankings.
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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

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